Posté le: Sam 25 Nov - 05:37 (2017) Sujet du message: Basketball is a game of runs. They made their run and we too

The San Antonio Spurs will try to take a 2-0 cushion over the Oklahoma City Thunder when the two teams continue the Western Conference finals tonight at AT&T Center. Christian Okoye Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. San Antonio took the series lead Monday night with a 122-105 home victory in Game 1. The Spurs used a balanced scoring attack and clamped down defensively late in the third quarter to claim the win. Five San Antonio players scored in double figures and the Spurs outshot the Thunder from both the field and behind the 3-point line. Russell Westbrook knocked down a jumper with 5:09 left in the third to give the Thunder a 76-75 lead -- their first since a 5-4 edge early in the first -- but after Kevin Durant drained a jumper of his own nearly 30 seconds later, San Antonio turned up the intensity on the defensive end. The Spurs held Oklahoma City to just one field goal over the next seven-plus minutes, turning a one-point deficit into a 13-point advantage early in the fourth quarter. Durants 3-pointer just over three minutes into the fourth brought the visitors within 95-85, but the Thunder failed to get any closer the rest of the way as the Spurs ran away with the victory. Tim Duncan led the charge offensively with 27 points and seven rebounds, while Manu Ginobili and Danny Green combined for 34 points on 7-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Ginobili netted 18 points, while Green and Kawhi Leonard each scored 16 in the win Tony Parker, who sustained a left hamstring strain in San Antonios series- clinching Game 5 win over Portland in the conference semifinals, supplied 14 points and 12 assists for the Spurs. "We were taking what we were given," Duncan said. "We knew wed be able to get into the middle and attack a little more than we have." The reason the Spurs were able to attack the middle was due to the absence of OKCs big man, Serge Ibaka. He injured his left calf in Game 6 of the conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers and is expected to miss the remainder of the postseason. San Antonio exploited the advantage and trounced the Thunder in the paint to the tune of 66-32. "Were a no-excuse team," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "Serge is out. Hes not coming back. We have to play better." The Spurs shot 57.5 percent from the field and 53 percent from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City shot respectable percentages of 46.3 from the floor and 44.4 outside the 3-point line. Durant registered 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Westbrook finished with 25 points, seven assists and five boards for the Thunder, who won all four meetings with the Spurs during the regular season. The Thunder trailed by as many 15 points in the first half before Westbrook and Durant fueled OKCs comeback in the third, scoring all but two of the teams 23 points in the period. Westbrook registered the Thunders first nine points in the third, including a jumper with 8:13 on the clock that brought the team within 72-68. Ginobili buried a 3-pointer to quell the Westbrook barrage, but Durant ripped off five straight points and Westbrook followed with a free throw and a jumper to give Oklahoma City a 76-75 lead. Durant followed two free throws from Boris Diaw with another jumper, but the Thunder managed just one field goal -- a Durant jumper with 22.9 seconds left in the frame -- for nearly nine minutes as the Spurs surged ahead for good. "The third quarter was obviously our best quarter, but we didnt close out well," Durant said. "Were not taking any moral victories out of it." Game 3 will be Sunday night in Oklahoma City. Custom Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys . It was well worth the wait. Manning and the Denver Broncos waited eight long months, then another 33 minutes to get the season started because of a lightning storm. Derrick Thomas Jersey . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. http://www.prochiefsauthentic.com/Youth-Tamba-Hali-Elite-Jersey/ . McCutchen hit his first home run in over a month, doubled twice and scored two runs to help the Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 on Sunday and take three of four from the defending NL West champions.ORLANDO, Fla. -- When the Orlando Magic followed up two straight season-opening losses with a pair of lopsided wins over New Orleans and then Brooklyn, it turned a few heads. Their latest victory will certainly garner them even more attention. Nik Vucevic had 30 points -- including six free throws in the final 23 seconds -- and 21 rebounds to help the Orlando Magic hold on for a 98-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. The win was the Magics third in a row, and gives them their first three-game streak since December of last season. Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said theres no real secret to his teams success so far. "Trust. We kept trusting each other," he said. Vaughn smiled when he recalled Vucevic calling for the ball down the stretch, and the third-year big man said afterward that his success in the closing minutes only adds to the confidence he feels in his game right now. "I know my team needs me to be aggressive," said Vucevic, who posted his fifth-career 20-20 game. "The coaching staff keeps telling me to be aggressive on both ends of the court. Im just trying to deliver for my team so we can get some wins." Orlando led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter but Los Angeles went on a 25-5 run to take its first lead that quieted the Amway Center crowd. Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Chris Paul added 18 points and 10 assists. Former Magic guard J.J. Redick also chipped in 17 points. But the Clippers, who had been averaging 124 points and shooting more than 50 per cent during a three-game winning streak, were held to just 37 per cent on the night. Los Angeles became the third straight Magic opponent to shoot under 40 per cent. The Clippers have little time to dwell on their shortcomings, though, as they continue a three-game road trip Thursday at Miami. Even during their win streak Clippers coach Doc Rivers has been cautioning that their defence wasnt close to acceptable. He said his approach to changing the culture requires no special formula. "Youve just got to keep talking about it," he said. "We win games, we score 100 or whatever points, thats always fools gold. Our offence is always fools gold. Youve got to defend to win. The good part about tonight is that was proven." Paul agreed defence must start being their focus. &"Its Game 5. Ramik Wilson Jersey. Luckily weve got about 77 left," Paul said. "But were not going to win games unless our defence gets better." Just days after scoring their most points in nearly four years, the Clippers were sluggish and looked a little tired on both ends early as the youthful Magic pushed the pace on the way to building a 15-point halftime lead. The Clippers led 75-72 early in the fourth when Byron Mullens and Andrew Nicholson got tangled up running down the floor. Nicholson fell to the ground during the scrum and was initially whistled for a technical foul. It was reviewed and a technical was also awarded to Mullens. The play seemed to re-ignite the Magic, though, who took the lead back -- 83-80 -- on a transition 3-pointer by ETwaun Moore with 6:43 to play. Paul tied it again at 86 with a short jumper in the lane a few trips later, and a defensive 3-seconds call on the Magic and a free throw by Redick gave back the lead to Los Angeles. It twice changed hands on the next two trips before a fade away jumper by Arron Afflalo put the Magic back in front 90-89. The Clippers called timeout to set up a play, but Paul missed a 3-pointer late in the shot clock which was rebounded by Orlando. Vucevic then scored off a feed from Jameer Nelson on the other end. Paul turned it over on the Clippers next possession, but the Magic failed to get up a clean shot on their ensuing trip. DeAndre Jordan was fouled and connected on 1 of 2 free throws to trim it 92-90 with 25 seconds remaining. Vucevic then started his parade to the line to close it out. "Its more important that we took the blow that they gave us," Magic guard Jameer Nelson said. "They came out in the third and pretty much had their way. Basketball is a game of runs. They made their run and we took the blow. We executed well, we stuck to our game plan and even when they executed against our game plan and were successful, we stuck with it." NOTES: Magic F Tobias Harris sat out his fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle. Vaughn said there remains no timetable for his return. ...The Clippers played without F Matt Barnes (calf). Rivers said he could miss Thursdays game against Miami as well. ... Recently-retired Grant Hill was in attendance on Wednesday night. He played with both the Magic and Clippers during his 19-year career. Cheap NFL JerseysWholesale JerseysWholesale NFL JerseysJerseys From ChinaWholesale NFL JerseysCheap NFL JerseysCheap Jerseys ' ' '